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January 15, 2010

A few years ago, I purchased this 1962 Simplicity pattern book off eBay. It has special meaning to me because my mother sewed all my clothes when I was growing up. I spent many hours choosing patterns from Simplicity and Butterick pattern books then selecting fabric to order from the Sears catalog. Now I look through the pattern book for fun pictures to use in creative ways.

Today I selected this sweet drawing from the pattern book and turned it into a postcard so I could write a little note to two of my granddaughters and send it to their school's post office. The mail is delivered daily to each classroom. I will tell them about when I was a little girl spending many hours choosing patterns from Simplicity and Butterick pattern books...

December 27, 2009

In November, when Dick and I were visiting our daughters Heather and Lisa and their families in New York and New Jersey, I made my annual trip to a fun little shop called Parcel in the town where Lisa lives. This year, I purchased a tiny little card with the word gnome, its pronunciation, and definition. On the flip side of the card it says, "a small being in a fable or story." What I was planning to do with it... I hadn't a clue. I only knew that it had special meaning to me because it represented a memory.

The Gnome-Mobile, which came out in 1967 featuring Walter Brennan, was the first movie I ever viewed in a theater. It was one of the last films personally produced by Walt Disney.

When I returned home, I asked my daughter Jessie if she had any gnome craft ideas. I told her about the tiny card that I had purchased but didn't know what to do with it. Unbeknownst... don't ya love that word... unbeknownst to me at the time, she had bought a gnome and a mushroom cookie cutter to give me as a Christmas gift. She had already purchased it before I had even mentioned the card to her. Isn't it so fun when life works out like that? She also gave me two other cookie cutters... an old-fashioned glass milk bottle shape and a snail, but those must wait to be shared for yet another day.

December 20, 2009

My daughter Jessie has done distracted me again. I had my day all planned out, then I stopped by for just a moment to check my email. There in a message from Jess was a link to a new blog, Creature Comforts, that she had discovered. My distraction quotient went off the charts when I clicked on the link to discover the most adorable free printable gift wrap and tags. My printer immediately got to work. Unbeknownst to me, when I purchased $100.00 worth of ink and recycled 20 empty ink cartridges at Staples to receive $120.00 back in store credit recently, this was going to be what I would need it for. There is a photo on the blog showing wrapped gifts so you can see what a perfectly fun little touch it would add under your tree. I would have wrapped some gifts with it to show you... but I need to get back to my all-planned out-day now.

A partridge in a pear tree...

Blue and white... wintertime. All the gift box needs is a frosty snowflake to add sparkle.

November 30, 2009

Snapfish is an online photo service that allows you to store photos to share with others. All that's required to get started is to set up a free account, then prints can be ordered, photos can be downloaded from the site into your computer, and items can be made out of those photos (e.g. books, posters, and mugs). It's a great way to view family and friends' photo collections to be able to select and purchase the photos that you want. For one week, through December 2, Snapfish is offering 50% off photo books on their site. For each photo book purchased, Snapfish will donate $1.00 to a food bank in your home state. This promotion was featured on Rachel Ray's Thanksgiving on Main Street Show that aired November 25. You just need to enter the coupon code RRBOOK during the checkout payment step upon completion of your book. I created an 8x8-inch 20-page hardcover photo book of my grandkids. It's quite simple. First, you decide what photos and scans you want to use and upload them to Snapfish. Next, you choose a book format, size, and theme. Finally, you can either use the auto-fill option which automatically adds photos to your book or you can manually place each one where you choose. Once you become familar with the commands and what your options are, it is really a simple and quite amazing process as the album begins to take shape on your computer screen and you can flip each page to see your handiwork before purchasing your end-product. Here is a sampling of pages from my book. On some pages I told a story...

November 28, 2009

This "Dream Snow" pop-up advent calendar by the renowned children's book author and illustrator Eric Carle is way too fun to not get the word out. It is available from Chinaberry for $10.99. I already placed an order for shipments to my grandkids. According to the catalog and web site description, "Traditional advent calendars have 25 little doors or flaps to open, with something festive to see inside. This calendar goes even further. As you open it, an amazing scene pops up, complete with Santa, a Christmas tree, and 5 merry packages under the tree! Inside the doors are either ornaments to put on the pop-up tree or gifts to put inside the boxes, allowing children to play more of an interactive role than just peeking inside a flap each day." You'll need to get your order in pronto since December 1, the first day to begin opening the calendar's flaps, is Tuesday of next week.

October 31, 2009

October 22, 2009

Late this afternoon, I returned 15 library books that I had checked out for my grandkids for their visit from New Jersey two weeks ago. It seemed a waste of a trip to town just for this one errand, so I pulled into an open parking spot directly across the street from a shop called Twiggy's Treasures. I had learned of the shop from my friend, Jackie, who had stopped by the shop during her stay at my bed and breakfast over MEA (Minnesota Education Association) Weekend. Now how does it happen that an out-of-towner discovers such a fun funky shop with "an eclectic mix of vintage treasures at very affordable prices" (quote from owners' facebook page) before I do? The two owners, who just opened their business on October 5, have created an artsy oasis in downtown Brainerd (Minnesota) on a stretch of street whose neighbors include Coco Moon Coffee Shop, Cat Tales Book Store, The Bead Shop, Between Friends Yarn Shop, and Downtown Art and Frame Company. Their wares are creatively displayed in "rooms" formed by using a sofa, chairs, and various other tables and shelves that hold merchandise but also serve a secondary function of warmth and coziness. One of the owners practices Reiki, which she offers in a corner of the shop. According to the International Center for Reiki Training, Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. Thursday evenings, the shop is open for special events. Tonight they were offering wine or cider and snacks with music by Emily Hammer, a singer songwriter guitarist. Just a bit ago, I listened to some of her music on her MySpace Page. Oh, I do wish I had braved the cold temps in the low 30s tonight to listen to her perform. I got too comfortable curled up in my flannel pjs and by the time I realized what I was missing... it was too late. Take a listen... http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=181422081

I came away with this old but well-preserved lap quilt sewn in cheerful bright colors and a bonus of polished stones. The stones are "gratitude stones" for placing a monetary donation in a jar to be used for women in need. The shop's owner recently organized an event that raised $50,000.00 for the cause, which was matched dollar for dollar by the Brehmer Foundation in Brainerd. The donation jar is to add to the fund.

October 14, 2009

When my October 2009 Martha Stewart Living Magazine arrived in the mail recently, I immediately knew that my next trip to the local farmers market would include a hunt for varying sizes and colors of squash to create toadstools pictured on the magazine's cover. Then today's craft segment on Martha Stewart's T.V. show featured the toadstools, so it was the inspiration that I needed to make some of my own for an autumn table centerpiece set atop a little carpet of moss.

Martha's directions stated to cut the top off a squash for the toadstool's cap, remove the insides, then press the "cap" down onto the base squash (the toadstools' stem). I simplified the process by just turning the "cap" squash upside down (without cutting the top off and removing the insides), then I poked its woody stem into the base squash. Simple as that... done. Last night, and today on this overcast drizzly mid-October day, I turned on the light inside the tiny house. So cozy...

August 20, 2009

It is my youngest daughter Jessie's 29th birthday today. She loves to craft as much as I do, so I couldn't wait to give her this card. She even has a mannequin in her craft room, which increased the perfectness quotient.

Here's the inside of the card... Oh, yeah. It's so fun to stumble upon the perfect card. (I received an inquiry as to where I found this card. I purchased it at Walmart. There were three left in the rack after I bought mine. I went back two days later to purchase another. Nope... none left, and there hasn't been any since. It's gotta be out there somewhere.)

July 10, 2009

There is nothing quite like opening your mailbox to discover a handwritten letter from someone. Before even tearing open the envelope, it's the stamp that sends a message. So when my trip to the post office today produced these "king and queen of hearts" stamps, I got excited. Stamps that excite me are too few and far between.